He later became a foreign correspondent, and in this role covered events ranging from the fall of Saigon and the toppling of Saddam Hussein, to the Bosnian War, Beirut and Baghdad — all the while displaying what NBC's Brian Williams described as “an intense brand of cool under fire.”

"From Southeast Asia to the Middle East… to the Balkans … to Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and dozens of other 'hot spots,' Aspell made his mark on behalf of NBC News for 28 years," said NBC News President Steve Capus.

"To a person, all of his colleagues will tell you Tom was great company in the field who loved sharing stories at the end of a day spent documenting history."

A native of New Zealand, Aspell's last posting for NBC News was in Cyprus, where he loved spending time on his sailboat.